Definition
Asperger Syndrome (also known as Asperger’s Disorder) was a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of interest and behavior. Named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, who described the condition in 1944, it was distinguished from autism by the preservation of language and cognitive development — individuals with Asperger’s typically had normal to above-average intelligence and often developed intense, specialized interests in specific topics. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association removed Asperger Syndrome as a separate diagnosis in the DSM-5, subsuming it under the broader category of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The term remains in common usage, particularly in self-identification: many people diagnosed before 2013 continue to identify as “Aspies” or as having Asperger’s. The internet has played a crucial role in Asperger’s visibility: online communities provided spaces for self-diagnosis, peer support, and the sharing of coping strategies, particularly before the condition was widely understood by mainstream medicine.
Why It Matters
Asperger Syndrome is the internet’s favorite diagnosis to debate, reclaim, and meme. The condition occupies a unique place in internet culture: it is simultaneously a medical diagnosis, an identity, an insult, and a source of community. In the 2000s, “Asperger’s” became a casual insult on forums like 4chan and Something Awful, used to mock obsessive or socially awkward behavior. Simultaneously, the same platforms hosted genuine communities of people with Asperger’s who found in the internet a social environment that was easier to navigate than face-to-face interaction. The internet’s relationship with Asperger’s is therefore paradoxical: it was a place of mockery and a place of refuge. The decision to remove Asperger’s from the DSM-5 was controversial in these communities: some welcomed the unified spectrum approach, while others felt that the distinct identity of Asperger’s was being erased. The internet also revealed darker aspects of Hans Asperger’s history: research by historian Herwig Czech showed that Asperger had cooperated with the Nazi regime and sent children to the Am Spiegelgrund clinic, where they were killed. This revelation has led to ongoing debates about whether the name should be changed. Asperger’s matters because it shows how the internet transforms medical categories into social identities, communities, and battlegrounds.
Example
“She was diagnosed at 22. She had always known. She had always been different. She found a forum. The forum was for Aspies. They talked about special interests. They talked about masking. They talked about the exhaustion of being social. She felt seen. She felt home. She told a friend. The friend said, ‘You don’t seem autistic.’ She masked harder. She stopped telling people. She kept the forum. The forum was real. The diagnosis was real. The hiding was real. That was Asperger’s on the internet. A diagnosis. A community. A secret. And a mask that was worn so long it became a face.”
Related Terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — The diagnostic category that replaced Asperger Syndrome in the DSM-5
- Aspie — The self-identifier used by many people with Asperger Syndrome
- Masking — The practice of hiding autistic traits to appear neurotypical in social situations
- Special Interest — The intense, focused passion for a specific topic that is characteristic of Asperger’s
- Neurodivergence — The umbrella term for neurological differences including autism, ADHD, and dyslexia